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From: Robert Golden <br /> To: W PCtesti mono <br /> Subject: Testimony in opposition to Bill 121 <br /> Date: Tuesday,April 2,2024 10:12:24 AM <br /> Aloha Windward Planning Commission: <br /> Testimony in opposition to Bill 121 <br /> Robert Golden <br /> 13-872 Malama Street <br /> Pahoa, HI 96778 <br /> Wohe hana nui ke alu 'ia. No task is too big when done together by all. <br /> I and my partner have lived in Leilani Estates since August 2013.We operate two <br /> AirBnbs, one hosted and one unhosted on our adjoining property. As AirBnB superhosts, <br /> our mission is to provide our guests, mostly tourists from mainland USA and around the <br /> world with a lived experience of Aloha. The Island of Hawaii is our home and we, like <br /> other AirBnB hosts, love the communities in which we live and want our County <br /> government to support us in our efforts as we support them in promoting thriving <br /> communities on this island. As hosts, we provide opportunities for tourists to use local <br /> services at the same time educate tourists how to experience Hawaiian culture and <br /> places in a most respectful, pono manner. And since opening our hosted rental in 2014 <br /> and our unhosted rental in 2016, our business has served as a source of tax revenue for <br /> the County. As hosts, this is our Kuleana. <br /> We take words like Aloha, Kuleana, and Ohana seriously. These are lived ideas, not <br /> cliches. And we would like to be treated with the same respect by our County <br /> government. Reading Bill 121 left us wondering whether the County views short-term <br /> vacation rentals hosts as Ohana.We are not disputing the need to regulate this industry, <br /> but there are aspects of the bill that we believe are overreaching: <br /> • If the owner of the property chooses to live in the guest house and uses the <br /> main house as a rental, why is that disallowed? Shouldn't a property owner be <br /> able to make that decision? <br /> • Why can't a host who owns a farm, use a farm dwelling for a hosted rental. <br /> Why is the County curtailing the landowner from creating another income <br /> stream? <br /> • Most tourists who choose short-term vacation rentals are seeking an <br /> unconventional, non-hotel, indigenous experience that is close to the land. Yet, <br /> such places would necessitate a nonconfirming use certificate secured prior to <br /> Jan 1, 2024. New nonconfirming use certificates are prohibited unless the <br /> Director of Planning sees the need. Given the loss of hundreds of vacation rental <br /> in Puna due to the lava flow, is the Director of Planning going to make such an <br />